She hadn’t only been struggling to move on with life without Matt.
She was fighting to survive.
That felt worse than anything he’d imagined.
* * * * *
The quiet after the meeting felt louder than any drill sergeant she’d heard on base.
Church didn’t speak when they stepped out of the security office. He simply nodded toward the door and started walking. Zee followed a step behind him, unsure what to say or do now that everything was out in the open.
She should feel relief after telling someone. But the truth hung between them like a fragile bird, caught in the wind, unable to safely fly or land.
The ranch was winding down after a long day of work. Shadows stretched across the pasture and the mountains were turning that deep purple color they took on just before sunset. The air smelled of pine and dry grass.
Church kept pace beside her in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. He was just…contemplative.
She’d been bracing herself for an interrogation like the ones that cops had performed in the past. She held her breath in the office, waiting for the men’s looks of disbelief. But it never happened.
They crossed the drive and kept walking, following a fence line instead of heading straight for the loft suite. She didn’t feel in any rush to go to the place they stayed, and was grateful for the cool air on her face and the chance to breathe after everything she’d said.
He slowed and turned to the fence, resting his forearms on the top rail. She stepped up beside him.
Beyond the fence, several horses grazed in the pasture. The last rays of sun brushed their backs with a warm glow while their tails flicked lazily.
For a moment, they didn’t speak. The tranquility of the scene felt almost…surreal after the conversation they just had.
One of the horses lifted its head, ears twitching in curiosity.
“They’re beautiful,” she murmured, leaning on the fence beside Church.
He nodded. “They find peace in the land. Same as people.”
The horse stopped a few yards away and studied them with dark, patient eyes.
The tightness that had lived in her chest for months loosened a little more with every breath she took. Out here, there were no shattered windows or forced locks, no police questions.
Just horses and mountains and the low whisper of wind. And the warmth of Church beside her.
“You can ask me questions if you want,” she said after a long moment.
He glanced sideways at her. “You already said enough.”
She blinked at the grass on the other side of the fence, tall blades swaying in the breeze. “I’m not used to people believing me.”
The crease of his jaw bulged as if he didn’t like that. But he didn’t speak.
The horse flicked his ears again and lowered his head to graze.
“When I took this job, I thought it would be different. I thought if I came to another military base, it would stop.”
His gaze moved across the pasture, but she felt his attention on her like a warm weight. “It is different. You’re not alone with it anymore.”
The words went deep inside her, landing as soft as clouds.
She didn’t respond right away. She wasn’t sure what to do with the sudden warmth behind her ribs. For years she’d been carrying the fear and trying not to let it define her life.
Now Church knew, and instead of backing away from it, he was standing right beside her.
